The Place of the Woman: Wakoski and Dunber-Nelson on Women

Paper 1: Comparison Prompt: This is your chance to read two poems more deeply. To help you really dwell on the choices poets make, I’d like you to compare two poems’ presentation of the same general topic (i.e. pigs, jump rope, cake, alcohol, sleep, spring, fog, television, the Internet, fathers, marriage, refugees, drowning, anxiety, the heart. etc.) through a differing use of poetic devices. Here are the poetic devices we’ve gone over so far: point of view, imagery, similes/metaphors, sound devices (rhyme, consonance, assonance, repetition, refrain), juxtaposition, ambiguity, line breaks. The first step is to analyze what devices are at work in each poem. Consider making two lists and writing down everything you see. Then, decide on the poetic devices on which you can compare the two poems. So, that you can thoroughly support and reflect on each one, I’d recommend comparing the poems on just two-four points. [Note: not all the devices you discuss have to be discussed for both poems; it’s OK to, say, discuss anaphora in one poem but not the other.] Choose devices which you think really add to the poem’s presentation of their common topic (i.e. fatherhood etc.) For instance, maybe rhyme is used in one poem to emphasize words important to the poem’s conception of the father; maybe line breaks add ambiguity and add to the message about the father, maybe the point of view is key to the presentation of fatherhood, etc. One poem needs to be from class—a poem we read for homework or that was given in the lecture notes and the other needs to be one from www(dot)poetryfoundation(dot)org that we didn’t go over in class. Note that you can do a search for poems by topic on Poetry Foundation’s website—just use the search bar on the right side of the screen, and then hit “poems” in the menu on the left side of the screen to limit your results to poems on that topic. Just be wary of two kinds of poems on the site that will probably not give you as much to analyze: children’s poems and song lyrics (though we will do an exercise analyzing song lyrics at the end of the semester). Word minimum: 1,250 words --Please write out the poems at the top of your paper. (These don’t count as part of the word count). Consider actually typing them out, rather than copying and pasting. Doing the former will help you really notice each word choice and line break. (It always amazes me how true this is when I write out poems word for word!) To help you engage in the process of writing, I’ll have you write a rough draft and do peer review of these. (Together, those make up one “weekly assignment” credit). To get full credit, the rough draft just has to be full length and the peer review has to answer each question completely. Take some time to have a look at the models of Paper 1 I have posted before writing your paper. How to Write a Strong Paper 1: Use of Evidence --every point you make must be backed up with evidence from the poem. In a paper about literature, quotes from the work are your evidence. So, in each paragraph, have at least one quote from each of the poems you’re comparing. Organization --as much as possible, organize the paper such that you’re comparing the two poems side by side—for example, first discussing the use of imagery in both, then the use of sound devices in both, etc. If you rather discuss all your points about each poem separately, you’re likely to not have as much analysis of the similarities and differences between them—and that analysis is where your original, critical thinking really comes into play in the paper. --use a mapping statement ( a list of all the ways you’ll discuss the poems) at the end of your intro paragraph and a topic sentence at the beginning of each body paragraph that links back to one point on the mapping statement. This basic scaffolding will foreground your main points throughout the paper. An example of a mapping statement would be: “Both poems use imagery, alliteration and juxtaposition to convey their messages about death.” An example of a linking topic sentence would be, “First, both poems use imagery.” (You can surely do it more eloquently, but this is a bare bones model.) It is OK if not all the devices you talk about are at work in both poems; just talk about them side-by-side when discussing the devices they do share. --transitions are key in any paper that compares two things. Use words like “Also,” “On the other hand,” “Similarly,” “Unlike,” etc. to say how one poet’s choices relate to the other’s. Use of Outside Sources --DO NOT CONSULT OUTSIDE SOURCES. This paper is your chance to try out your own interpretation abilities more extensively than we normally do for homework and in class discussion. You’ll be graded on how well you’re able to apply the techniques we talked about to interpret two poems. If I discover a student has used other people’s interpretations of the poem in the paper, or drawn on previous student papers, they will be subject to the plagiarism penalties (a zero on the paper and reporting of the incident to the Dean of Students). Some Nuts and Bolts --remember that poem titles are written in quotation marks --refer to the poet by last name, not first --the person speaking in a poem can’t be assumed to be the poet but should be referred to as the “speaker” --poems don’t have paragraphs but stanzas -when you quote a passage from a poem that covers more than one line, indicate the line break with a / (For instance: “Hickory, dickory dock/ the mouse ran up the clock”) --don’t skimp on your title—it’s the reader’s first impression of your paper. Make it creative. Avoid just labeling your paper “Paper 1” or writing “A Comparison of X and Y” (with X and Y being the titles of the poems you’re comparing). Use some images from the poem or evoke a common saying or song, or use some alliteration to get readers’ attention and make them want to read. Academic titles are most often written in two parts—Catchy Phrase: Informative Phrase. --you can use the phrase “I argue,” to emphasize that the interpretation you’re putting forth is your original view. However, avoid using phrasing like “I think” or “I feel” or “In my opinion, this means…” Be assertive in your claims. The latter phrases undermine the smart things you have to say! I am happy to provide comments on your rough draft; just ask me to by 3 days in advance of the final draft due date.